1,721,083 research outputs found
Editorial: Preventing psychosis in low resources settings - insights, specificities, and recommendations to the study of clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR) in low-and middle- income countries.
No full textWork Addiction and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress: the Mediating Role of Food Addiction Among Lebanese Young Adult Workers
No full textWork addiction is considered a public health concern, as it can lead to negative and harmful health outcomes. However, patterns leading from work addiction to mental health concerns remain so far largely unknown and under-studied. We aimed to verify whether the relationship between work addiction and psychological distress (i.e., depression, anxiety, and stress) is mediated by food addiction among young adult workers in the context of Lebanese culture. The second objective was to validate the Arabic version of the Bergen Work Addiction Scale (BWAS). The online cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1268 Lebanese young adult workers (65.1% females, mean age 26.18 years) using the Bergen Work Addiction Scale, the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale, the Yale Food Addiction Scale, and the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire. The PROCESS SPSS Macro version 3.4, model four, was used to compute the mediation analysis. Findings revealed that 175 (13.8%) were presented as work-addicted individuals, and 226 (17.8%) exhibited addictive-like eating behaviors. Bivariate analyses showed that higher degree of work addiction and food addiction was significantly associated with higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. The results of the mediation analysis showed that the association between work addiction and depression, anxiety, and stress was mediated by food addiction. In light of our findings, we cautiously suggest that the link of work addiction to psychological distress via food addiction implies that strategies targeting food addiction might mitigate the harmful effects of work addiction on workers' mental health
Body image as a mediator in the relationship between psychotic experiences and later disordered eating: A 12-month longitudinal study in high school adolescents
No full textBackground: The relationship between psychosis and disordered eating remains a challenging area of research to which little interest was paid. Using longitudinal data, we aimed to explore the hypothesis that the pathways from psychotic experiences (PEs) to disordered eating (DE) and body-mass index (BMI) are mediated by body-image disturbances.
Methods: A prospective longitudinal study was performed. High-school students (N = 510, 61.2% females, mean age of 16.05 ± 1.01 years) were asked to complete three scheduled assessments (Baseline, 6 months, and 12 months).
Results: Two body image components, that is, Overweight Preoccupation and Body Area Satisfaction, mediated the prospective association between baseline PEs and DE 12 months later. Direct effects were significant. After accounting for indirect effects through more severe body image concerns at 6 months, higher baseline PEs were significantly associated with greater DE at 12 months. Baseline PEs and 6-month body image explained a significant proportion of variance in 12-month DE. However, we did not find evidence of a direct prospective association between PEs and BMI.
Conclusion: This study is the first to assess the mediating role of body image between PEs and DE. Findings offer promising new avenues for early intervention to help mitigate the effects of PEs on DE in adolescents
Psychometric properties of an Arabic translation of the Nine Item Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder Screen (NIAS) in a community sample of adults
No full textBackground: No epidemiological data is yet available on Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) in Arab countries, which may in part be due to the lack of measures available in Arabic language. This constitutes a major obstacle to further progress of our understanding of the nature, aetiology, course, treatment, and prevention of ARFID, especially as some evidence suggested that ARFID may vary across cultures and food environments. We aimed to contribute to the literature in the eating disorders field by examining the psychometric properties of an Arabic translation of the Nine Item ARFID Screen (NIAS).
Method: This was a cross-sectional, web-based study. A total of 515 Lebanese community adults (mean age of 27.55 ± 10.92 years, 69.9% females) participated. The forward-backward method was adopted to translate the NIAS from English to Arabic.
Results: Confirmatory Factor Analyses provided evidence for the adequate fit indices for the three-factor model (i.e., Picky eating, Fear, and Appetite) and the 9-item version of the NIAS. An adequate reliability of the Arabic NIAS was achieved, with McDonald's ω ranging from .75 to .90 for the total score and all three subscores. Multi-group analyses demonstrated measurement invariance by sex (males vs. females) and weight groups (underweight/healthy weight [BMI ≤ 25] vs. overweight/obese [BMI > 25]) at the configural, metric, and scalar levels. Adequate patterns of correlations between the NIAS and measures of disordered eating symptoms, psychological distress and well-being were seen. In particular, fear was significantly associated with non-ARFID disordered eating symptoms. Appetite and Picky eating, but not Fear, were inversely correlated with well-being. All three NIAS subscores and the total score were positively correlated with psychological distress.
Conclusion: Findings provided evidence that the Arabic NIAS is a short, valid and reliable self-report measure to screen for ARFID symptoms. In light of these findings, we recommend its use for clinical and research purposes among Arabic-speaking adults
Validation of the Arabic version of the resilience scale for adolescents (READ)
No full textIntroduction: Adolescents react differently to challenging negative life events. Resilience, a dynamic characteristic of individuals, was studied to be a protective factor against such events. In order to study the resilience among Arabic-speaking adolescent populations, age-appropriate measures that are fully apprehended by younger respondents are needed. In this context, the present study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of an Arabic translation of the Resilience Scale for Adolescents (READ) in a community sample of native Arabic-speaking adolescents aged 13-18 years.
Methods: A sample of 546 community Arabic-speaking adolescents from Lebanon was recruited (n = 328 females, with a mean age of 15.76 ± 1.65 years). Through an online questionnaire, participants were requested to complete the READ, Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-8) and the 13-item Children's Impact of Event Scale (CRIES-13).
Results: Following the exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (EFA-to-CFA) strategy, a unidimensional model of the Arabic version of the READ was met after 10 items were removed from the scale, and showed strong internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha of 0.943). Additionally, the one-factor solution of the Arabic version of the READ was identical across male and female adolescents at the three levels of invariance (Configural, Metric and Scalar). Finally, higher resilience scores were significantly correlated with lower levels of psychopathology, namely depression, anxiety, stress and PTSD, thus attesting to the concurrent validity of the Arabic READ.
Conclusion: Findings lend support to the psychometric reliability and validity of the Arabic version of the READ, and therefore its suitability for use among Arabic-speaking adolescents. The availability of this tool facilitates the implementation of interventions that foster resilience, especially in adolescents who have faced a number of negative life events
Food addiction and associated factors in newly diagnosed patients with schizophrenia: a cross-sectional comparison with siblings and healthy controls.
No full textDespite the potential clinical and treatment relevance of food addiction (FA) among individuals with schizophrenia, the scientific literature on its characteristics and correlates within this population is sparse. Limited knowledge on FA in patients with schizophrenia may impede progress in developing effective treatments for pathological eating patterns and the common obesity and metabolic syndrome problems in this population. Considering these research gaps, the present study aimed to compare the nature and prevalence of FA symptoms among patients with first-episode schizophrenia, their siblings, and healthy controls. As a secondary objective, this study sought to examine the psychopathological correlates of FA in the patients' group.A cross-sectional study was conducted in Razi Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia, from January to June 2024. A total of 112 newly diagnosed, clinically stabilized patients with first-episode schizophrenia, 77 of their unaffected siblings and 78 healthy controls were included. FA was assessed using the modified version of the Yale Food Addiction Scale (mYFAS 2.0). The Metacognitions Questionnaire (MCQ-30) and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire were administered to the patients' group.Findings showed a higher prevalence of FA in the patient group (32.1%) compared to both siblings (13.0%) and controls (9.0%). Siblings had higher FA scores compared to controls (16.12 ± 4.95 versus 15.00 ± 6.09; p < 0.001). After Bonferroni correction for multiple testing, higher FA scores were significantly associated with less cognitive self-consciousness (Beta = - 0.54), older age (Beta = 0.45), and higher psychological distress (Beta = 0.63).Our findings suggest that people with first-episode schizophrenia are likely to present with co-occurring FA, and experience associated distress. Findings also provide initial support for a possible connection between dysfunctional metacognitive beliefs and FA in patients with schizophrenia, suggesting that cognitive self-consciousness may be a fundamental cognitive process in FA in this population. This may lend some theoretical and clinical implications for alleviating FA symptoms in schizophrenia
Cross-Country Validation of the Arabic Version of the Prodromal Questionnaire–Brief (PQ‐B) in Young Adults from the General Population of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region
No full textThe concept of early intervention in psychosis is still novel and evolving in some Arab countries, while completely non-existent in most of the other countries. What further complicates the introduction of this concept in the Arab world is the lack of easy-to-use and low-cost Arabic language screening tools. We aimed through the present study to perform a cross-country validation of the Prodromal Questionnaire–Brief (PQ‐B) into the Arabic language. We conducted a cross-sectional cross-national analysis based on 3247 respondents from six countries (i.e., Tunisia, Lebanon, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco). All participants answered the Arabic PQ-B and a set of measures used to determine the discriminant validity of the scale (psychological distress and suicidal ideation). Within this study, we also analyzed the factorial structure of the scale and its reliability. We found that 54.2% of participants screened positive for prodromal symptoms, with variations across countries ranging from 47.7% in Lebanon to 62.0% in Egypt. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that fit of the one-factor model of PQ-B items was very good (CFI = .92; TLI = .91; RMSEA = .075 [90% CI .073–.077]. The Cronbach’s alpha values were > .90 for the total sample, in all six countries and in both genders. Findings also showed that the Arabic PQ-B is invariant across gender groups at the metric, configural, and scalar levels. Between-gender comparisons revealed no significant differences between males and females regarding PQ-B scores. Higher PQ-B scores correlated significantly but weakly with higher levels of psychological distress and more suicidal ideation. Findings provide evidence of excellent reliability and discriminant validity of the one-factor structure of the PQ-B in its Arabic version. The Arabic PQ-B appears thus promising as a screening tool to detect prodromal psychosis symptoms in Arabic speaking communities
Psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2) in a sample of community adults
No full textBackground: There is a growing attention on intuitive eating (IE) styles in the Western world that has not yet reached Arab countries, which is likely due to the lack of psychometrically sound measures of the IE construct for Arabic-speaking people. The current study aims to examine the psychometric properties of an Arabic translation of the most widely used measure of IE-the Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2), in an Arabic-speaking community population from Lebanon.
Methods: Two samples of Arabic-speaking community adults from Lebanon (sample 1: n = 359, 59.9% females, age 22.75 ± 7.04 years; sample 2: n = 444, 72.7% females, age 27.25 ± 9.53 years) were recruited through online convenience sampling. The translation and back-translation method was applied to the IES-2 for linguistic validation. Factorial validity was investigated using an Exploratory Factor Analysis & Confirmatory Factor Analysis strategy. Composite reliability and sex invariance were examined. We also tested convergent and criterion-related validity through correlations with other theoretically plausible constructs.
Results: Nine out of the original 23 items were removed because they either loaded below 0.40 and/or cross-loaded too highly on multiple factors. This resulted in four domains (Unconditional Permission to Eat, Eating for Physical Rather than Emotional Reasons, Reliance on Hunger and Satiety Cues, and Body-Food Choice Congruence) and 14 items retained. Internal reliability estimates were excellent, with McDonald's ω values ranging from 0.828 to 0.923 for the four factors. Multigroup analysis established configural, thresholds, metric, scalar, strict invariance across gender. Finally, higher IES-2 total scores were significantly correlated with lower body dissatisfaction scores and more positive eating attitudes, thus attesting to convergent and criterion-related validity of the scale.
Conclusions: The current findings provide preliminary evidence for the appropriate psychometric qualities of the Arabic 14-item, four-factor structure IES-2; thereby supporting its use at least among Arabic-speaking community adults
Psychometric properties of the Arabic versions of the long (27 items) and short (13 items) forms of the interpersonal mindfulness scale (IMS)
No full textBackground: There is a lack of measures and data on interpersonal mindfulness from non-Western cultures, which can hinder advances in our understanding of the construct, its conceptual representation, and its effects on human connection and relationships within different cultural settings. To fill this gap and help spark future research in this area in the Arab world, the current study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of an Arabic translation of the 27-item and the 13-item versions of the interpersonal Mindfulness Scale (IMS) in a sample of Arabic-speaking adolescents from the general population.
Methods: A web-based survey was conducted in a sample of 527 Lebanese community adolescents (Mean age = 15.73 ± 1.81 years; 56% females). The IMS was translated from English into Arabic using the forward-backward translation method. Participants completed the long and short forms of the IMS, as well as the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire-Short Form (BPAQ-SF), and the 5-item Brief Irritability Test.
Results: Confirmatory factor analyses provided support to the four-factor structure of both the 27-item and the 13-item IMS (i.e., Presence, Awareness of Self and Others, Nonjudgmental Acceptance, and Nonreactivity). The original and the short form versions of the IMS yielded excellent internal consistency in our sample, with a Cronbach's α coefficients of 0.95 and 0.90, and McDonald's omega coefficients of 0.95 and 0.90, respectively. Multigroup comparisons suggested the factorial invariance of the Arabic 27-item and 13-item IMS between male and female participants at the metric, configural, and scalar levels. Finally, the concurrent validity of both full-length and short form of the IMS appeared to be good and comparable, as attested by patterns of correlations in expected directions with outcome variables (i.e., aggression, anger, hostility, and irritability).
Conclusion: The present findings provide support for the good psychometric qualities of the Arabic translation of the IMS in both long and short forms, suggesting that these scales are suitable for use to measure interpersonal mindfulness in Arabic-speaking youth, at least in Lebanon. We expect that the IMS, in particular its shortest form, will prompt more systematic investigation of interpersonal mindfulness in the Arabic-speaking populations, especially with regard to enhancing healthy communications with others and building effective social relationships
Psychometric properties of an Arabic translation of the multidimensional assessment of interoceptive awareness (MAIA-2) questionnaire in a non-clinical sample of Arabic-speaking adults
No full textBackground: Interoception refers to processes through which the nervous system identifies, analyzes, and integrates the information generated by the physiological state of the body (e.g., from internal organs such as the stomach, heart, or lungs). Despite its potential interest for clinical research and its wide use globally, no Arabic adaptation and validation of the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA-2) questionnaire exists to date. The goal of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of an Arabic translation of the MAIA-2 in a sample of Arabic-speaking community adults from Lebanon. We hypothesized that the Arabic version of the MAIA-2 would yield adequate internal consistency coefficients; the 8-factor structure model would show a good fit to our data, with measurement invariance and good convergent validity.
Method: The Arabic adaptation of the MAIA-2 was developed using the forward-backward translation method. A non-clinical sample of Arabic-speaking adults (n = 359, 59.9% females, mean age = 22.75 years (SD = 7.04)) took part of this validation study. To check if the model was adequate, several fit indices were calculated: the normed model chi-square (χ²/df), the Steiger-Lind root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), the Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) and the comparative fit index (CFI). Values ≤ 3 for χ²/df, and ≤ 0.08 for RMSEA, and 0.90 for CFI and TLI indicate good fit of the model to the data.
Results: Confirmatory Factor Analyses corroborated the validity of the original 8-factor structure of the MAIA-2 [χ2/df = 1603.86/601 = 2.67, RMSEA = 0.068 (90% CI 0.064, 0.072), SRMR = 0.058, CFI = 0.903, TLI = 0.892]. Reliability estimates in our sample revealed good internal consistency, with McDonald's ω coefficients for the subscales ranging from 0.86 to 0.93. Our analyses also revealed measurement invariance of the Arabic MAIA-2 for gender. No statistically significant difference between men and women in all dimensions, except for the not worrying and attention regulation subscales where men scored significantly higher than women. Finally, the Arabic MAIA-2 dimensions showed positive correlations with the intuitive eating dimension "Reliance on Hunger and Satiety Cues", thus providing support for convergent validity.
Conclusion: We contribute the literature by providing the first Arabic adaptation and validation of a measure assessing the multidimensional construct of self-reported interoception. The Arabic MAIA-2 demonstrated good psychometric properties. We thus preliminarily recommend its use to measure the interoceptive awareness construct among Arabic-speaking communities worldwide
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